High holding force security device

ABSTRACT

A merchandise display security device for displaying and protecting an article of merchandise from theft is provided. The security device includes a mounting base and at least one movable member coupled to the mounting base and configured to releasably attach the mounting base to the article of merchandise. The security device may also include a housing configured to be secured to the mounting base.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/207,824, filed on Mar. 13, 2014, which claims the benefit of priorityof U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/787,523, filed on Mar. 15, 2013,entitled High Holding Force Security Device, the contents of which arehereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to merchandisedisplay security devices for displaying and protecting an article ofmerchandise from theft.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Retailers routinely display articles of merchandise, such as portablecomputers (e.g. notebooks, laptops, tablets, etc.), e-readers, mediaplayers, and the like for customers to evaluate before making apurchase. These articles of merchandise are continually being madesmaller and lighter in weight due to advances in technology andmaterials. As a result, such merchandise is increasingly vulnerable andsusceptible to theft. At the same time, the retail price and profitmargin for such merchandise continues to decline. Accordingly, thesearticles of merchandise need to be secured by a security device thateffectively and cost efficiently protects the merchandise from theft.

Merchandise display security devices for displaying and protectingarticles of merchandise attached to a mechanical tether are known.However, the known devices are not configured to both adequately securethe article of merchandise and to be removed quickly and easily.

Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved merchandise displaysecurity device for protecting an article of merchandise from theft.There exists a further need for a merchandise display security tetherthat may be quickly and easily removed from an article of merchandisewithout causing damage to the merchandise.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to merchandise displaysecurity devices and methods for displaying and protecting an article ofmerchandise from theft. In one embodiment, the security device includesa mounting base and at least one movable member coupled to the mountingbase and configured to releasably attach the mounting base to thearticle of merchandise.

In some embodiments, the security device includes a plurality of movablemembers coupled to the mounting base. The security device may furtherinclude a housing configured to be secured to the mounting base, whereinthe housing is configured to engage the mounting base to prevent accessto the at least one movable member. In some aspects, the at least onemovable member is rotatably attached to the mounting base. In otheraspects, the security device includes a security cable having a firstend attached to the mounting base and a second end configured to besecured to a display surface. The security cable includes an anchorassembly at the second end such that the security cable is configured tobe anchored to the display surface. The anchor assembly may include aplurality of ports for electrically coupling with the article ofmerchandise and one or more accessories. In another aspect, an adhesiveis disposed on the at least one movable member. In some cases, the atleast one movable member includes at least one slot for receiving aremoval tool. In one embodiment, the security device also includes analarming power cable extending from the mounting base and configured toengage a power input port of the article of merchandise. Moreover, thesecurity device may include a port for communicating with a key forarming or disarming the security device.

According to another embodiment, a method for displaying and protectingan article of merchandise from theft is provided. The method includesproviding a merchandise display security device comprising a mountingbase, wherein the mounting base includes at least one movable member.The method also includes securing the at least one movable member to thearticle of merchandise.

According to various aspects of the method, the method further includesattaching a first end of a security cable to a display surface, a secondend of the security cable being connected to the mounting base. In oneembodiment, the merchandise display security device comprises a housing,and the method includes positioning the housing over the mounting base,wherein the housing is configured to prevent access to the at least onemovable member. The security step may include releasably adhering the atleast one movable member to the article of merchandise. In anotheraspect, the securing step includes securing a plurality of movablemembers to the article of merchandise.

According to another embodiment, a merchandise display security devicefor displaying and protecting an article of merchandise from theft isprovided. The security device includes a mounting base and at least onerotatable member coupled to the mounting base for releasably attachingthe mounting base to the article of merchandise. The security devicealso includes a security cable having a first end attached to themounting base and a second end configured for attachment to a displaysurface. In some cases, the security device also includes a housingconfigured to be positioned over the mounting base and the at least onemovable member, wherein the housing is configured to be removablysecured to the mounting base so as to prevent access to the at least onemovable member. In one aspect, the at least one rotatable membercomprises an adhesive for releasably attaching the mounting base to thearticle of merchandise

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is perspective view of a merchandise display security deviceaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a merchandise display security tethersecured to an article of merchandise according to one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an article of merchandise secured to adisplay surface with a cable and an anchor assembly according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is rear perspective view of a merchandise display security tethersecured to an article of merchandise according to one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 is a partially disassembled view of the merchandise displaysecurity tether of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a merchandise display securitytether according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a merchandise display securitytether and a removal tool according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of a merchandise display securitytether engaged with a removal tool according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described more fullyhereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in whichvarious embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may,however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construedas limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, theseembodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to thoseskilled in the art.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing figures wherein like referencenumerals denote like elements throughout the various views, one or moreembodiments of a merchandise display security device for displaying andprotecting an article of merchandise from theft are shown. Moreparticularly, the drawing figures show embodiments of a merchandisedisplay security tether, indicated generally by reference character 20,for being attached to an article of merchandise, indicated generally byreference character M. The article of merchandise M may be a displaymodel or an operational sample of electronic merchandise, such asportable computers (e.g. notebooks, laptops, tablets, etc.), e-readers,media players, stylus, keyboards, and the like, for a customer toexamine before making a decision to purchase the item. The article ofmerchandise M is attached to the merchandise display security tether 20in a manner that permits a prospective purchaser to evaluate theoperation and features of the merchandise, while protecting themerchandise from a potential thief.

According to one embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, the merchandisedisplay security tether 20 includes at least one movable member, amounting base 30, and a housing 50. The housing 50 is configured toprevent access to the mounting base 30 that is releasably attached tothe article of merchandise M by one or more movable members 25. Eachmovable member 25 may include an adhesive disposed thereon that isconfigured to attach to the article of merchandise M and to readilyrelease the mounting base 30 from the article of merchandise M in theevent that the merchandise is to be removed from a retail sales display,for example, to be sold. One or more movable members 25 may be employed,although a plurality of movable members may be used as shown, forexample, in FIG. 6. The movable members 25 may be arranged on themounting base 30 in a variety of manners, such as in a symmetricformation for uniform attachment to the article of merchandise M. Themovable members 25 may be various shapes and sizes depending on the sizeof the merchandise display security tether 20 and the article ofmerchandise M. For example, the movable members 25 may be circular,square, rectangular, etc. In addition, each movable member 25 may berotatably or pivotally attached to the mounting base 30 to facilitaterotation or pivoting thereabout.

Instead of one large adhesive adhering an article of merchandise Mproduct to a security device, in one embodiment the adhesive iseffectively divided into several smaller pieces with a surface areaequivalent to the one larger piece. This allows the removal force toremain high. Each of the smaller individual pieces of adhesives ismounted on a respective movable member 25. For example, the adhesivemight be mounted on a rotating wheel. A tool T, which may beparticularly designed to engage each movable wheel and be proprietary,may be used by the store associate (see, e.g., FIGS. 7 and 8). Forexample the tool T could be configured to engage a slot 35 defined ineach movable member. This tool T engages with the movable member 25 ofthe security device with the adhesive attached and is used to overcomethe adhesive force of a single piece of adhesive. This might beaccomplished, for example, by a twisting motion of a movable member 25to which the adhesive is attached, shearing the adhesive from thesurface of the article of merchandise M. Because there are several smallpieces of adhesive, this removal requires much less force thanattempting to remove a large piece of adhesive all at once. For example,if the adhesive were four separate pieces on four movable members 25,the force to remove each of the four pieces might be 25% of the forcethat would be required for one large adhesive of the same total surfacearea.

In another embodiment of this invention, each of the movable members 25could be monitored by the merchandise display security tether 20,including various means of sensing and alarming. For example, themerchandise display security tether 20 may include circuitry formonitoring each of the movable members 25. By monitoring each of themovable members 25, the merchandise display security tether 20 coulddetermine if the adhesive was being tampered with as soon as a potentialthief starts to attempt a removal. For example, if there were fouradhesives on four movable members 25, the thief would set off the alarmwhile attempting to defeat the first of the four movable members 25,leaving the security device still well attached to the article ofmerchandise M and alarming. This would likely cause the thief to stophis theft attempt for risk of being caught attempting to remove theother three adhesives while an alarm is sounding.

In the illustrated embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-5, the article ofmerchandise M is a tablet or laptop computer having a display screen,and the mounting base 30 (disposed within removable housing 50) isattached to the rear surface of the display screen. The housing 50 ofthe merchandise display security tether 20 may be generally dome-shapedto extend over and entirely cover the mounting base 30 and movablemembers 25. Thus, in one embodiment, the housing 50 is configured (sizedand shaped) to be received on mounting base 30 in a manner that preventsaccess to the mounting base and the movable members 25 (and associatedadhesive) of the mounting base.

In one embodiment, a security cable 80 extends between the mounting base30 and an anchor assembly 90. Security cable 80 may, for example,comprise a generally flexible, yet relatively inelastic, steel cablejacketed with a protective covering. In some embodiments, cable 80 mayinclude one or more conductive wires for power and alarming signals, aswell as a mechanical tether. The cable 80 may also or alternativelyinclude a cut-resistant cable, wherein each of the cables and conductivewires are surrounded by a protective sheath. The security cable 80 maybe secured to a tabletop, counter, shelf or other display surface usedin retail sales using the anchor assembly 90, such as via an adhesiveand/or fastener(s). Regardless of the method of securing the merchandisedisplay security tether 20 to the retail sales display, security cable80 has a length sufficient to allow a customer to evaluate the operationand features of the article of merchandise M including, for example,determining the weight of a laptop computer and opening and closing thedisplay screen of the laptop computer, when making a decision whether topurchase the merchandise. The cut-resistant cable may or may not beattached to the mounting base 30 and/or anchor assembly 90.

In some embodiments, the anchor assembly 90 comprises one or more portsfor receiving respective cables attached to articles of merchandise M(see, e.g., FIG. 1). For example, one port may couple to a laptop ortablet device, while another port could couple to accessories such as astylus or keyboard. In other embodiments, the anchor assembly 90 mayinclude a plurality of ports for accommodating convertible devices ordevices having components that can attach/detach from one another. Theanchoring assembly 90 may further include an input power cable 100 witha plug 110 or other connector configured to couple to a power source.The anchoring assembly 90 may allow for “pass through” power whereby theanchoring assembly includes an electronic circuit, chip, board, or thelike configured to determine if the input power is compatible with therequirements of the article of merchandise M. If the input power andpower requirements are compatible, the power may pass through to thearticle of merchandise M. If the power requirements are not compatible,power may not pass through to the article of merchandise M, whichprevents the article of merchandise from being damaged. In otherembodiments, the anchoring assembly 90 includes a voltage regulatorconfigured to adjust or otherwise adapt the input power to the voltagerequired by the article of merchandise M.

In some instances, the anchoring assembly 90 is disposed within orotherwise integrated with, a stand 120 (see, e.g., FIGS. 4 and 5). Thestand 120 is configured to receive the merchandise display securitytether 20 for supporting the article of merchandise M. For example, thestand 120 may include an opening and corresponding slots sized andconfigured for receiving the housing 50 and associated cables,respectively, wherein the article of merchandise M is displayed in aparticular angle and orientation (e.g., portrait or landscape).Otherwise, the article of merchandise M may be placed directly on thedisplay surface such that the merchandise display security tether 20rests on the display surface. In the case where an anchoring assembly 90or stand 120 is employed, a security device (e.g., plunger) may becoupled thereto such that removal of the anchoring assembly or standfrom the display surface results in activating the plunger andtransmitting an alarming signal. Similarly, the mounting base 30 mayinclude a security device (e.g., plunger) for detecting unauthorizedremoval of the mounting base from the article of merchandise M.

The anchoring member 90 and/or stand 120 may be mechanically andelectrically coupled to the merchandise security device 20. In addition,the cable 80 may be electrically connected to an alarming device, suchas an alarming device contained within the mounting base 30 that issecured to a respective article of merchandise M. In particular, thecable 80 electrically connects the merchandise security device 20 to theexternal source of electrical power, and the merchandise security devicemay be configured to activate an audible and/or visible alarm in theevent that the cable is cut, severed or removed (i.e., unplugged) fromthe anchoring assembly 90, stand 120, or merchandise security device 20.As such, the cable 80 may comprise a plurality of conductors disposedwithin a protective outer sheath in a conventional manner. At least oneof the conductors conducts an electrical power signal between theexternal source of electrical power 100 and the merchandise securitydevice 20. As will be understood, cable 80 alternatively may be amechanical security cable, for example, a high strength, cut resistantcable, with or without a security signal conductor in the event that thedisplayed article of merchandise does not require electrical power orobtains electrical power from another power cable. Likewise, the cable80 may alternatively be a power cable that provides electrical power tothe electronic article of merchandise without a security signalconductor in the event that the mechanical security provided by theelectro-mechanical cable is sufficient for protecting the article ofmerchandise from theft.

An alarming power cable 130 may extend between the merchandise securitydevice 20 and a power input port P of the article of merchandise M forcharging the article. The alarming power cable 130 may couple to thepower input port P with a connector 140 configured for a particulararticle of merchandise M. The alarming power cable 130 may bereplaceable for accommodating articles of merchandise having differentpower input ports P. The alarming power cable 130 may also include oneor more conductors for transmitting electrical and security signals. Atleast one of the conductors conducts a security signal between the powerinput port P and the merchandise security device 20 (provided on thearticle of merchandise M), which activates an alarm in the event thatthe electrical signal is interrupted in one of the aforementionedmanners indicating a possible theft condition. Thus, the article ofmerchandise M may be charged when the power cable 130 is engagedtherewith, and removal of the connector 140 coupled to the power inputport P may result in an alarming signal.

In one embodiment, the merchandise security device 20 may be configuredto be armed and disarmed by a key or other device for arming anddisarming. For example, the merchandise security device 20 may include aport 150 for wireless communication with a key. The port 150 may includecircuitry for infrared (IR) or radiofrequency (RF) communication with akey transmitting associated IR or RF signals for arming and disarmingthe merchandise security device 20. In other embodiments, the port 150may be programmed to recognize a specific code wirelessly transmitted bya key for arming and disarming the merchandise security device 20. Insome cases, the key may communicate with the port for arming anddisarming the aforementioned alarming device associated with themerchandise security device 20.

The foregoing has described one or more embodiments of a merchandisedisplay for displaying and protecting an article of merchandise. Thoseof ordinary skill in the art will understand and appreciate thatnumerous variations and modifications of the invention may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.Accordingly, all such variations and modifications are intended to beencompassed by the appended claims.

That which is claimed is:
 1. A merchandise display security devicecomprising: a mounting base configured to be attached to an object; anda plurality of members coupled to the mounting base and each having anadhesive configured to releasably attach the mounting base to theobject.
 2. The security device of claim 1, further comprising a housingconfigured to be secured to the mounting base, wherein the housing isconfigured to extend over and cover the mounting base to prevent accessto the plurality of members.
 3. The security device of claim 1, whereineach of the plurality of members is rotatably attached to the mountingbase.
 4. The security device of claim 1, wherein each of the pluralityof members comprises at least one slot for receiving a removal tool. 5.The security device of claim 1, wherein the object is an article ofmerchandise.
 6. The security device of claim 5, wherein the furthercomprising a power cable coupled to the mounting base and configured toprovide power to the article of merchandise.
 7. The security device ofclaim 1, further comprising a port on the mounting base forcommunicating with a key for arming or disarming the security device. 8.The security device of claim 1, wherein the adhesive of each of theplurality of members are configured to releasably attach the mountingbase to the object such that the plurality of members are disposedbetween the merchandise display security device and the object.
 9. Thesecurity device of claim 1, wherein at least three members are coupledto the mounting base.
 10. A method comprising: providing a merchandisedisplay security device comprising a mounting base, the mounting basecomprising a plurality of members each having an adhesive; and securingthe adhesive of each of the plurality of members to an object.
 11. Themethod of claim 10, further comprising positioning a housing over themounting base to extend over and cover the mounting base for preventingaccess to the plurality of members.
 12. The method of claim 10, whereinsecuring comprises releasably adhering the plurality of members to theobject.
 13. The method of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality ofmembers is rotatable.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprisingrotating each of the plurality of members relative to the mountingmember for removing the movable members from the object.
 15. The methodof claim 11, wherein security comprises securing the adhesive of each ofthe plurality of members to the object such that the plurality ofmembers are disposed between the merchandise display security device andthe object.
 16. A merchandise display security device comprising: amounting base comprising an attachment surface having a surface area;and a plurality of members coupled to the attachment surface and eachhaving an adhesive configured to releasably attach the mounting base toan object, wherein each of the plurality of members has a surface areathat is less than the surface area of the attachment surface.
 17. Themerchandise display security device of claim 16, further comprising ahousing configured to be positioned over the mounting base and theplurality of members, the housing being removably secured to themounting base so as to prevent access to the at least one rotatablemember.
 18. The merchandise display security device of claim 16, whereineach of the plurality of members is rotatably attached to the mountingbase.